My Lemon Chicken

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Asian dishes come in many guises and many of them have chicken at their centre. I’ve simplified a traditional dish which you can cook using a deep-fat fryer. Of course, if you really want to be a bit more authentic, you will use a wok.

It’s possible to prepare and cook this dish in 30 minutes or less. To begin, turn on your deep-fat fryer to full or fill your wok one third full with oil, but don’t heat it up until you are able to keep an eye on it.

Then assemble:

4 chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
cornstarch or rice flour for coating
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp rice (or white) vinegar
60g palm or other sugar
60 ml water
1.5 tbsp cornstarch
4 scallions (spring onions), sliced diagonally
Salt and pepper

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, dip them in the beaten egg and then roll in the flour to coat. If you are using a fryer, drop the breasts in and then turn the heat back to the chicken setting. If you are using a wok, now is the time to heat it to smoking point and then quickly add the chicken using a slotted spoon or similar.

Chicken cooked in this way will take 6-8 minutes to cook, depending on the size of the breasts. While that is going on, mix the lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil while stirring. Then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for a little.

Crumple some paper towel on a large plate and transfer the chicken breasts to this to allow them to drain. Don’t forget to turn off your fryer or wok.

Now finish off your sauce. Combine the cornstarch with about 60ml of water then add it to the sauce while stirring. Bring this to the boil and remove from the heat.

Slice each chicken breast diagonally and transfer to individual plates. Spoon the sauce over and garnish with the scallions. I serve this with plain boiled rice, but French fries would work just as well if that’s your preference.

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